Intimate scenes in movies are often one of the biggest challenges for actors.

Many stars don’t feel comfortable filming certain s*x scenes.

However, according to Keira Knightley, it depends on the director and how they use techniques to film the scenes.

The star described how she shot one of the best s*x scenes in her life in the 2007 Joe Wright directorial, Atonement.

Knightley, who has starred in movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, Pride and Prejudice, and The Imitation Game, shared during the release of The Aftermath in 2019 how she had one of the most comfortable intimate scenes with James McAvoy.

Knightley is known for her roles in period dramas and starred in the 2007 Joe Wright movie Atonement alongside McAvoy.

The movie was a critical and commercial success, even winning an Oscar for Best Original Score.

One of the iconic scenes from the romantic war drama was the bookshelf scene, which, according to Knightley, was one of the most well-shot intimate scenes in her career.

“The best s*x scene I’ve done onscreen is the one in Atonement, on the bookshelf.

It was both the best s*x scene, but also [the best] to shoot,” said Knightley.

Knightley credited director Joe Wright’s ability to direct the scene with absolute perfection that didn’t lead to any uneasiness between the two co-stars.

She explained how the choreography played a crucial role in the scene and made it comfortable between her and the X-Men star.

“Foot goes up there, hand goes up there.

So both me and James [McAvoy] felt utterly comfortable and not exposed, and like we could deal with it.

It’s never gonna be fun, but we could deal with it,” said Knightley.

Wright’s direction helped Knightley understand the correct way and techniques to shoot such intimate scenes.

She applied those in The Aftermath, and according to director James Kent, it changed his perspective completely.

“With s*x scenes in particular, it always has to be choreographed like a dance.

So with James [Kent], I was like, ‘You’re the director, you know what you want from this, so you have to just tell us.

And everyone will feel comfortable,’” said Knightley.

Later, when Kent spoke to Vulture, he revealed that Knightley’s words changed his perspective towards s*x scenes completely.

“Keira asked me to narrate — [she said] otherwise, you’re too conscious that we’re doing it.

But if you narrate, it takes the awkwardness out of it, it becomes technical,” said Kent.

The bookshelf scene in Atonement can be streamed on Hulu.

It can be said that the scene was indeed one of the best on-screen s*x scenes ever and also teaches a lot about the art of filming such scenes.